Ep 209 - The Hypermobile Patient - Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & HSD with Dr. Jan Dommerholt

🚨Try Hanna Health free for 30 days - a customizable HEP platform where you can use your own videos, edit quickly, and track patient access. Start your trial here: https://bit.ly/4pSkYjP 💡Why are patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told their severe pain is "just growing pains"? In this episode of PT ProTalk, host Mariana Parks sits down with Dr. Jan Dommerholt, a globally recognized expert in myofascial, chronic, and orofacial pain, and a leading authority on hypermobility disorders. Dr. Dommerholt breaks down the systemic reality of EDS and explains exactly why physical therapy is the number one profession to help these patients regain control of their lives. 💭 "They used to call it benign hypermobility. Well, there's nothing benign about hypermobility, believe me." - Dr. Jan Dommerholt 👉🏻 Dr. Jan Dommerholt PT, DPT, MPS is a Dutch-trained physical therapist, widely recognized as a leading expert in myofascial, chronic, and orofacial pain. A pioneer in his field, he introduced dry needling to the United States in 1997 and remains a global authority and consultant on the practice. Leveraging his background as a former musician, he also specializes in performing arts physical therapy, focusing on treating musculoskeletal issues in instrumentalists. Furthermore, Dr. Dommerholt is a prolific author and educator who has published numerous books, over 130 articles, and nearly 80 textbook chapters, while also lecturing globally and teaching at the University of Maryland. In addition to his extensive academic contributions, he is the president of Bethesda Physiocare®, serves on several editorial boards, and has received multiple prestigious awards for his clinical practice and educational excellence. 📚In this episode, you'll learn: • How to identify HSD/hEDS patients you're likely already seeing but missing • Why your standard MSK approach often fails this population - and what to do instead • How to build a practical treatment plan that accounts for pain flares and nonlinear progress • How education and validation can be your most powerful clinical tools with these patients 🔎Dr. Jan's Resource of Information: • Mintken, P. E., Dommerholt, J., & Francomano, C. A. (2026). Managing Patients With Hypermobility Disorders: They've Seen You, but Have You Seen Them? Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2026.13979 • The Ehlers Danlos Society Website: https://bit.ly/4fKzgRc • EDS ECHO Programs & Courses for Healthcare Professionals: https://bit.ly/4vLshfN 📲 Dr. Jan's contact information: • jan@bpcemail.com • jan@myopainseminars.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/jandommerholt/ • Bethesda Physiocare Website: http://www.bethesdaphysiocare.com http://www.facebook.com/BethesdaPhysiocare4u/ • Myopain Seminars Website: http://www.myopainseminars.com http://www.facebook.com/myopain4u/ 📩 Don't miss out on podcast updates!📬: https://www.ptprotalk.com/ 👉 Share Your Feedback: https://forms.gle/YspLGAzHph2fVord8 Help Us Build Better Solutions for Your Practice! 🚀 Take 60 seconds to answer 3 quick questions and help us build new paths to make your practice run smoother. 👉https://forms.gle/LmAh4H1vRKjKqCtW8 🎙Listen on all platforms: https://bit.ly/45rzffO 🍁 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝐏𝐓 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 🍁 In this channel, you will find Physical Therapy-related content, like interviews with experts that share their views and experiences, providing relevant information to help Physical Therapists to improve their practice and patient care! 📩 Don't miss out on podcast updates!📬: https://www.ptprotalk.com/ 🌐𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 https://www.instagram.com/ptprotalk/ https://www.facebook.com/ptprotalkpodcast https://www.linkedin.com/company/pt-pro-talk/ https://twitter.com/MariHannaParks Spotify: http://bit.ly/3HFJcNQ ✅𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 📧 📩Email: mariana@ptprotalk.com Support 💁‍♂️ PT Pro Talk Podcast is only possible with the support of forward-looking and innovative companies like: Hanna Health: https://hannahealthhub.com/hep and SaRaHealth: https://bit.ly/saraytb